SUNSET: 
0
Photographer:
Dan-Kuchta
Location of Photo:
Dark Arts Observatory, Brockport, NY
Date/Time of photo:
August 13, 2021
Equipment:
TSAPO71Q Telescope, ZWO ASI2600MC Camera with IDAS NBZ filter, iOptron CEM120 Mount
Description:
This is also known as the Cygnus Loop, or SH2-103, with the parts that are easily visible through a scope being called the Veil Nebula. This shell of expanding gases is the remnant of a Supernova that blew up 10K to 20K years ago, and is 2400 light years from us. The original star would have been about 20 times the mass of our sun, and the core should have collapsed into a neutron star. But despite many searches, that neutron star has never been found. In the image, the blue indicates ionized oxygen and the red is ionized hydrogen. There are, of course, other elements remaining from such an explosion, but oxygen and hydrogen are the gases that ionize and give off enough light to be detected by our telescopes. I’m attaching a reduced size image here due to your size limitations. The full resolution can bee seen at the following link and has an extraordinary amount of detail when you zoom in. Link: https://astrob.in/hqyh4e/0/ Imaging Scope: TSAPO71Q, 70mm, 350mm focal Length, quadruplet Imaging Camera: ZWO ASI2600MC Filter: IDAS NBZ Dual-Band Guide Scope: Skywatcher Esprit 100 Guide Camera: ZWO ASI174 Mini Mount: iOptron CEM120 Image Acquisition: Sequence Generator Pro Guiding: PHD2 Processing: PixInsight, Photoshop, Topaz Denoise Lights: 100 x 240seconds, 6.75 hours of total integration Darks & Flats: 100 each Bias: 400
